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684. You do not call them book-makers ; they are spielers ?—They are men who frequent racecourses and take people down if they get a chance. 685. Are their headquarters in Wellington?— Yes, they live here. 686. What is the name ? —McLaughlan. 687. Is he in business in Wellington ?■ —Yes, he is now. 688. How long since ? —About a month or six weeks. 689. Is he away at the races ? —I think so. 690. You say he is still a spieler, and belonging to that class ?—I would not like to say so. I think he tried to turn over a new leaf. He started bootmaking, and carried on his business for a month or six weeks. 691. Do you know where his shop is ?—Yes. 692. Is it closed ? —No, it is open. 693. Who is in it ?—Some other man is carrying on the business. 694. And the other men are simply casual visitors ? —Yes. 695. You know Shotlander's shop?—l do. 696. It is not a tote-shop ?—I never knew it to be such. 697. Ever been inside it ? —Yes. 698. Pretty often ?—Only once. 699. Just to chat with the proprietor ?—I was passing the other day, and in consequence of what you said he invited me in. 700. Did you discuss the matter with him ? —I did not. 701. What conversation passed? —He asked me to come in and see if his place looked like a " tote-shop," or words to that effect. I went inside, and he showed me some rugs and other garments that he had been selling and dealing with. 702. Do you know whether any tote-shops in the colony are carried on under the guise of business shops ?—I do not. 703. Have you ever been in Auckland ?—-Yes. 704. Are there any tobacconist shops there which are practically tote-shops?—l have not been there for two or three years. 705. When you were there ?—No. 706. Are you aware that tote-shops in any part of the colony are being carried on under the guise of tobacconist shops ?—No. ' 707. Are you doing plain-clothes duty in the Detective Force?— Yes, in Wellington. 708. Do you know a billiard saloon near Anderson's shop in Willis Street?— Yes. 709. Ever been inside? —Yes, I think I was there one day. 710. You do not know much about the class of people who frequent it ?—No, I do not. 711. In regard to licensing laws, do you regard it as part of your duty to report breaches of the Licensing Act ?—lf a case came under my notice I should regard it as my duty to report it. 712. Did a case ever come under your notice ?—I do not think so. 713. You never saw a breach of the Licensing Act since you entered the Force ?—No. 714. Are you an observant man, and keen in making observations ?—Not particularly. Ido not go looking for breaches of the Licensing Act. 715. You never see them now ? —No. 716. Do you regard it as your duty to make a report, supposing you saw one?— Yes. 717. Do you ever see any signs of drunkenness on the streets of Wellington on Sunday?— No. 718. Never ? —I think I saw a man one day under the influence of liquor. 719. Are you much on the streets on Sunday?— Yes, a good deal, but not so much as other days. 720. You think the licensing law is pretty well observed in Wellington by the licensees?—l do not think it is very bad. I think it is pretty well observed. 721. How long ago is it since you saw that one person?— Between four and five months. 722. Do you think there is no betting with minors in Wellington ?—I have never seen a case of it. 723. Never seen any book-makers betting with boys and young men? —Not with persons I would take to be under twenty-one". 724. You would be a good judge as to whether a person was under twenty-one years of age ?—I suppose I would be. 725. Do you think there is any going on ?—I say I have not seen a case, and of course I do not know. 726. What are the habits of the " tote " men —I do not mean book-makers—how do they carry on their business ?—What is the difference ? 727. Do you recognise any difference between the tote-man and the book-maker?— No. I think if you asked a man in the habit of laying " tote " odds he would call himself a book-maker. 728. How long did you do ordinary street duty in uniform in Dunedin ?—About four months and a half. 729. Then you went on plain-clothes duty ?—Yes. 730. Did you make application to be put on plain-clothes duty?—l did not. 731. You were put on by Inspector Pardy?—Yes. 732. Do you know how book-makers usually record their bets—the men who lay "tote" odds ?—Yes; they will record their bets-in a book so that only they can understand it. 733. How do they do it ? —For instance, a man invests ss. on a certain horse. Alongside of the amount they put down a straight-out legal price in their book. Well, if any other person got hold of that book and examined it, it would be apparently a straight-out wager and a legal wager. 734. Supposing I invested ss. on a horse, what would they enter in the book?—He would put down your name or initial, or, if he knew you, some other initials altogether. He would put down